How a teacher greets students, takes care of logistics, and begins his or her lessons is CRUCIAL! During this observation, focus on how class begins. Where is your CT before class begins? What is he or she doing? Using the clock on the wall, determine when your CT establishes order and begins class. How did she/he start their lesson? How is homework from the previous night reviewed/collected/assessed? How does your CT engage students during the opening of the lesson?
I decided that if I have time to go to both placements each week, then I will make it my mission to attend. With that being said, I was able to go to Westerly M.S. last Monday the 28th and Narragansett H.S. Wednesday the 30th. I am happy to report that I had really positive experiences at both placement sites. My teachers were both warm and inviting, yet held their own council within their most sacred domain; the classroom! I was also very excited that both teachers were knowledgeable yet down to earth. I liked both of their teaching styles and will keep them in mind when I have my own classroom in the future.
My middle school CT stands at the entrance of the classroom and greets each student on the way in. She patiently reminds each student to record the homework that is on the board into their homework agendas. I then went around and gave each student a fun stamp if they had done as the teacher asked. The students seemed to be excited about receiving the stamp and I recognized it was a form of positive reinforcement. My M.S. CT has an essential question on the board to gather the students attention and get them on task for the day's lesson. My CT allowed for 5 minutes of student discussion about the essential question before she officially began class. I thought this was beneficial, for it allowed students to discuss the topic of the day's lesson and prepared their minds for science class, where critical thinking and problem solving is crucial. Once those 5 minutes were up, my CT asked several students to share what their group was discussing.
My high school CT had a more relaxed way procedure for his beginning of class routine. He sat in the front of the room, at his desk, and treated the many students staggering into his classroom. Some students were late and he discussed with the, why being on time is important and beneficial for all students, for if they are late they might miss something important. I liked that my CT and the students were av,e to have a respectful and appropriate discourse about this topic. When the whole class started to speak at once, he calmed the students down and told them what they were going to be covering that day in class. He told stories about the history of microbiology and made the information relatable to the students lives. I thought this was a great way to start a lesson. Actually, it inspired my story about something in science history that I will be teaching in class the 5th.
I decided that if I have time to go to both placements each week, then I will make it my mission to attend. With that being said, I was able to go to Westerly M.S. last Monday the 28th and Narragansett H.S. Wednesday the 30th. I am happy to report that I had really positive experiences at both placement sites. My teachers were both warm and inviting, yet held their own council within their most sacred domain; the classroom! I was also very excited that both teachers were knowledgeable yet down to earth. I liked both of their teaching styles and will keep them in mind when I have my own classroom in the future.
My middle school CT stands at the entrance of the classroom and greets each student on the way in. She patiently reminds each student to record the homework that is on the board into their homework agendas. I then went around and gave each student a fun stamp if they had done as the teacher asked. The students seemed to be excited about receiving the stamp and I recognized it was a form of positive reinforcement. My M.S. CT has an essential question on the board to gather the students attention and get them on task for the day's lesson. My CT allowed for 5 minutes of student discussion about the essential question before she officially began class. I thought this was beneficial, for it allowed students to discuss the topic of the day's lesson and prepared their minds for science class, where critical thinking and problem solving is crucial. Once those 5 minutes were up, my CT asked several students to share what their group was discussing.
My high school CT had a more relaxed way procedure for his beginning of class routine. He sat in the front of the room, at his desk, and treated the many students staggering into his classroom. Some students were late and he discussed with the, why being on time is important and beneficial for all students, for if they are late they might miss something important. I liked that my CT and the students were av,e to have a respectful and appropriate discourse about this topic. When the whole class started to speak at once, he calmed the students down and told them what they were going to be covering that day in class. He told stories about the history of microbiology and made the information relatable to the students lives. I thought this was a great way to start a lesson. Actually, it inspired my story about something in science history that I will be teaching in class the 5th.